Braille type



o. G. CAMPBELL 1,931,840

Oct. 24, 1933.

BRAILLE TYPE Filed 0G15. 11, 1930 2 6 /:\r\\\m n '1 .5 \o 5. O n @m6 www QZ vzgst @a [012mb mpam A TTORNE Y.

Patented Oct. 24, 1933 BRAILLEVY TYPE Orton G. Campbell, deceased,'late ofv Dallas, Tex.,

by Lottie Campbell,

administratrix, Dallas,

Application October 11, 1930. Serial No.` 487,979

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the art or printing or embossing Braille from type on presses and in such connection it relates more `particularly to the method of forming the type body carrying the characters and for arranging them in position for printing.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a method whereby the characters usually forming the Braille method of printing are constructed in 'two parts, thereby using aless number of type characters and thus facilitating the setting by hand or casting on a machine by a blind person.

Another object of the invention is to construct 15 lthe characters having a type body the full height and half the width of the standard Braille character cell and in disposing the dots or character faces on the type body in such a position that when two of the half characters are placed t0- '.gether the spaces between letters or characters is exact and in a proper position for printing.

Another object carried out in the improved method is the means employed for ascertaining by touch the proper position of the characters as .they are selected from the case in setting up a form, v

The improved method will be better understood from a perusal of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view .of a line of the characters embodying the improved method, the characters being set up to represent the word Braille and vincluding spacing elements between letters.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1.

Figures 3 to 9 inclusive represent in top rplan or printing face the entire group of characters vused in the method.

Figure 10 represents a top plan view of the' letter or character faces as placed together to form, by'way of example, the letters a to i inclusive and y and z.

Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the characters.

Figure 12 is a similar View of a spacer element betweenletters; and y Figure 13 is a similar view of a spacer element Yused between words.

Proceeding in accordancey with the drawing andv Vof the'standard Braille character cell.` Each of the type bodies is provided with dots or rounded projections 2 ordinarily used in Braille cells for embossing the character on the paper on which printed. Since the type body is made in two parts some provision must be made so that when placed together to form a complete character, the dots will have the proper spacing, and for thisreason the dots 2 are spaced from one side of the type body as at 3, at exactly half the hori- Zontal space between the dots in the Braille cell. This will be apparent from Figures 1 and 2, the letter r having the dots so spaced from the edge of the type body as to form an equal space between the dots of the half characters or type bodies either vertically or horizontally when these half characters are abutting as at 4. This is followed throughout the entire arrangement of spacing. Thus any Braille character (which is in one unit or body) may be made by this new arrangement or method by placing two of the half characters togetherfacing the narrow margins as shown in the drawing. The wide margin of each of the half characters as at 6 forms a shoulder which is one-half the space between letters or characters and therefore when type is set the spacing between the letters is exact. For instance, the letter r in Figure 2 consists of two of the half characters and the letter a immedi-A ately abuts the letter r so that it will be seen that the wide margins when placed together form the proper space.

These half characters may be produced by any standard type casting or line casting machine from. matts of this improved or original design,

or may be produced by typewriter, or any other machine or device.

In employing these characters for hand setting it is usual to have one edge of the character formed with a nick or groove, therefore in this method the groove is placed as at 8 on the side of the character and thus when selecting by hand a character from the case it is only necessary to feel or touch the groove to ascertain the proper position of the character in the-set up. Proper letter spacing is provided by means of the elements 10 and spaces between words is provided by means of the elements 11, these relements representing the usual en and em quads. These characters can be formed by the linotype machine and cast and arranged for printing the same as in book and .newspaper work without in any way altering the 1. A type body formed in two equal parts, each part having projections or dots to represent a letter of the alphabet, each of said type bodies having the dots disposed at ythe marginal edge of the body in order that the horizontal distance between dots on cooperating blocks or bodies when said block or bodies are brought together is equal Yto the vertical distance between adjacent dots on the same block 'or body, and a Wider marginal space on the opposite side of the dots to properly space thewords formed by the letters apart.

2. A type body in two parts, each part having dots or projections thereon at a point near the I margin thereof so as to enable each of the dots or projections to have thesame spaced Width .for spacing between letters, when the two parts are placed together.

LOTTIE CAMPBELL,

Administrcttrz'x of Orton G. Campbell, De-

ceased.

ico

los 

